Why Is It Extreme To Live According to Laws of Torah?

That the name we are called is negative in only an indirect way doesn’t alter the fact that it is disparaging. It telegraphs a subconscious bias (and may well spawn from the same). I’m not quite Howard Beale-mad about the subtle slur, but I’m peeved all the same by its persistence.

I’m an “ultra-Orthodox” Jew.

Think about the word before the hyphen. “Ultra” might seem innocent enough, but what does it bring to mind in, say, domestic politics? Who, in other words, is an “ultra-conservative”? Pat Buchanan, I’d guess. Or maybe David Duke. And “ultra-liberal”? Well, to ultra-conservatives, President Obama probably fits the bill. To saner folks, though, well, the term wouldn’t fit anyone this side of socialism.

And there’s a good reason the prefix is used that way: It’s Latin for “beyond” or “extreme.” And that’s the problem. Are we you-know-whos really over-the-Jewish-top? Yes, we strive to observe the laws of the Torah, as mediated by the codes of Jewish law. And we eat only kosher food and do our best to observe the myriad religious laws of the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays. Orthodox modesty strictures, moreover, do set us (especially the women among us) apart from contemporary styles and norms. Those things, though, are part of every Orthodox Jew’s life. What makes us “ultra”?

To be sure, we “Haredim” (a less offensive term, from a Hebrew word that literally means “trembling” but implies meticulous care in practice and worship) are somewhat more insular than our “modern” (now there’s a silly identifier) or “open” (a downright insulting one — are the rest of us “closed”?) Orthodox brothers and sisters. We don’t generally own televisions, and we shun much of what passes for popular culture these days. But we’re hardly homogeneous, humorless or Luddites. Most of us are quite technology conversant, interact swimmingly with our non-Jewish co-workers and neighbors, and live peaceful, normal lives. And most of us speak fairly proper English, though Yiddishisms may occasionally sneak in. (But they do on television shows, too, I’m told.)

We tend to shun higher secular education, true, partly because our intellectual ideal lies in Talmud study rather than in the humanities or sciences, and partly because university life is far from consonant with our moral values. But we have our fair share of college grads, doctors, lawyers and scientists, not to mention tech wizards and academics.

The Hasidim among us dress in unusual garb — the famed long black coats and fur hats (at least on the Sabbath) that the “U-phrase” brings to many minds. But we are a variegated bunch. Many, if not most, of us dress in a manner that doesn’t stand out terribly starkly at all. And anyway, Americans of all sorts of religious and ethnic stripes dress individualistically. Do they get an “ultra” label, too?

Yes, while we are committed to Israel’s security, we don’t invest the political state with deep religious significance as some Orthodox Jews do, or consider everything its government does to be automatically right. Most non-Orthodox American Jews, though, last I checked, feel similarly.

Okay, I know, we are different. I don’t mean to challenge that sociological truism. But our differentness reflects only our fealty to the Judaism of the ages. That makes us Orthodox, not “ultra” anything.

What, then, to use in its place? Well, “Haredi” is now used by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the longstanding Jewish news service. That’s fine, although it’s still a puzzling word to many readers.

I have another suggestion. Considering that other Orthodox groups have self-identified with prefixes like “modern” or “open,” why can’t we Haredim just be, simply, “Orthodox”? Our beliefs and practices, after all, are those that most resemble those of our grandparents.

But, whatever alternative is adopted, “ultra” deserves to be jettisoned from media and discourse.

We Haredim aren’t looking for special treatment, or to be called by some name we just happen to prefer. We’re only seeking the mothballing of a pejorative.

We’re not asking anyone to be ultra-fair. Just fair will do.

Avi Shafran blogs at rabbiavishafran.com and serves as Agudath Israel of America’s director of public affairs.

Top Stories

The Jewish Daily Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Jewish Daily Forwardrequires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and The Jewish Daily Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.

Inspired by his Brooklyn childhood, The Little Beet chef/owner developed a gluten-free version of apple pie for his restaurant that's the perfect #passover dessert: baked apples with vanilla-walnut charoset.

Has your non-Jewish colleague told you Passover is only one night — or that Hanukkah always falls on December 25? That's #goysplaining, says Lilit Marcus.
Have you ever been goysplained?

It's only been a day since Trevor Noah was appointed Jon Stewart's The Daily Show successor, and he's now being slammed for old anti-Semitic tweets.
What do you think of Noah's tweets? Let us know in the comments.

Israel's own Black Panthers once latched onto the #Passover story to challenge Ashkenazi domination. The radicals issued their own Haggadah, which mentioned strikes and injustice — but not God.

Fans of the The Daily Show are wondering how new host, Trevor Noah, will address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Well, his past posts on social media indicate he probably won’t be appearing at next year’s AIPAC conference

#Passover is now five days away. That means matzo, matzo, and more matzo — kind of a mood killer. Here are 6 things you should watch to get you revved up for Seder.

Even though it's often men who lead the Seder in traditional Jewish families, Avi Shafran believes that the Seder itself is maternal in its quality and purpose.

From our friends at Kveller.com, need something delicious for a Passover snack? How about this potato pizza kugel!

#Passover is especially meaningful — and challenging — when you're converting. Take it from Kelsey Osgood, who felt like a 'stranger in a strange land' at her first Seder.

Ex-Navy Seal Eric Greitens is plunging into the GOP primary for #Missouri governor — the same race shaken by the suicide of a candidate dogged by an anti-Jewish 'whisper campaign.'

"My cousin and I are both dating non-Jews who are considering converting. Is it wrong to ask our dad to tone down the Seder this year so they get a nicer impression of Judaism?"
Check out the advice in this week's #Seesaw: http://jd.fo/p8Jdx

In her now infamous New Yorker piece, Lena Dunham acted like an outsider looking in. Doing this made it not just unfunny but anti-Semitic, J.E. Reich says.

In Rabat, Jonathan Katz found more tolerance for Jews than he’s seen in many "clean and safe" Western cities. So why is #Morocco often described as "dirty and dangerous"?

As far as we know, Abraham Lincoln never said, "Some of my best friends are Jewish." But clearly he could have.

Vayter / ווײַטער: A biweekly blog presenting original Yiddish articles, fiction, essays, videos and art by young writers and artists.

We will not share your e-mail address or other personal information.

The Forward occasionally sends promotional e-mails to our subscribers on behalf of selected sponsors, whose advertising supports our independent journalism. We hope you will look at their messages and find their offers interesting to you, but if you would like to opt out of receiving them, please uncheck this box.